Hadn't heard of this project before, but there are multiple reports pointing to it (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/04/19/national/jaxa-plans-japans-first-moon-shot-in-2018/) winning one of the small satellite project slot and flying on the 4th Epsilon rocket in 2018.

Anyone got better materials on this?

Title: Re: SLIM - new Japanese small lunar lander to fly in 2018?
Post by: tul on 04/20/2015 01:56 PM

It is supposed to land in a crashed moon cave.http://www.lcpm10.caltech.edu/pdf/session-1/6_LCPM2013-S1-JapanPlanet-JK+HYb.pdfhttp://robotics.estec.esa.int/i-SAIRAS/isairas2012/Papers/Session%2010C/10C_04_harada.pdf

Title: Re: SLIM - new Japanese small lunar lander to fly in 2018?
Post by: notsorandom on 04/20/2015 02:45 PM

Landing in one of the skylights of a lunar lava tube is certainly an audacious thing. Presumably there would be less sky visible to the lander which brings up two questions. Will the probe receive enough light for solar panels? Also rock tends to be pretty effective in stopping radio waves. Communications, especially without a relay orbiter may be very challenging.

Title: Re: SLIM - new Japanese small lunar lander to fly in 2018?
Post by: The Amazing Catstronaut on 04/20/2015 05:11 PM

Agreed - are they putting an RTG on it? Or does this thing have a low expected lifespan and they've just given it enough batteries to last for a short duration/cover the intervals between sun exposure?

Title: Re: SLIM - new Japanese small lunar lander to fly in 2018?
Post by: sanman on 04/22/2015 10:48 PM

Is there a link where the Japan Team HAKUTO is being discussed? I'm not finding the discussion and Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_Satellite_Launch_Vehicle#Planned_launches) is reporting that lunar Rover is still scheduled for an ISRO PSLV launch in 1Q2018.

Title: Re: SLIM - new Japanese small lunar lander to fly in 2018?
Post by: TrevorMonty on 01/19/2018 10:50 PM

The rover was going to fly in Indus lander, but that isn't going to happen, funding a schedule issues with Indus team. Moon Express MX1 might be its best chance of getting moon this year.

Hakuto has arrangements with Astrobotic as well as Team Indus. Right now (stated last week at the lunar lander workshop at NASA Ames) Indus is still hoping to raise the money and fly later in the year but presumably not as part of GLXP, barring another change in the deadline.

To get back to SLIM, it is still being worked on for flight in c. 2020, and landing sites were discussed at the same workshop, with a young lava flow near the Marius Hills skylight being a top contender.

That's a good PDF file, and it includes information about the landing site. Not in Mare Nectaris but on its edge, just south of the big youngish crater Theophilus. My take on it: The Nectaris impact excavates some olivine from deep in the crust, and at first it was exposed in massifs of the inner basin ring (equivalent to the Rook Mountains at Orientale). Later, Theophilus is dug into those massifs and some of the olivine is deposited in its ejecta. A little fresh crater which is their landing target has made a nice fresh exposure of it for analysis.